IT'S just one game that La Salle has played in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament, but Angel Canino appears to be picking up where she left off last year during which she, as a rookie, won the league's MVP award.
Canino scored a team-high 14 points as the De La Salle Lady Spikers beat Adamson University, 25-16, 25-16, 25-18, which also was coach Ramil de Jesus 's 300th win as La Salle coach.
In his 27 years as coach, De Jesus probably has seen nearly all kinds of players. But now, the apple of his eye is Canino whose rookie season was something special.
She may still be raw in the coach's assessment, but Canino, according to De Jesus, has grown and matured in the months that she has worn the La Salle uniform.
READ: RDJ wants to be remembered not for his 300 career wins but for this
"Sa ngayon, mas nakita ko si Angel na mas matured maglaro compared nung last season kasi last season, siyempre ilang years lang naman ‘yun — actually wala pa eh. Months lang siya na under sa akin. Mas nakikita ko na mas mature na siya maglaro compared last year," said de Jesus.
Building something better
Canino is taking their title defense 'one game at a time' to not get too caught up this early in the school's hunt for a 13th crown.
"Sabi nga po ni Coach (Ramil de Jesus), one game at a time. Kung napanalo man namin ngayon 'yung game na 'to, mas kailangan pa naming ikayod, i-work out kung ano pang next namin na obstacle or challenges. Isa-isa lang," said Canino.
From a team standpoint, however, de Jesus wants to establish a much firmer playmaking pipeline to fully unleash the firepower of Canino and the rest of La Salle's offense.
"Nakikita ko na kailangan pa nilang mas mag-jell, lalo na 'yung sa setter. Napakahirap palitan ng setter last year and then 'yung libero kasi kung hindi stable 'yung pasa ng libero, mahihirapan yung setter," de Jesus said.
"Last year kasi, maayos 'yung libero namin then 'yung setter okay [kaya] kailangan naming mag-adjust nang todo-todo doon and ganu'n yung i-work out namin," he added.
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